School-Based Assessment of Micronutrient Interventions in Adolescents (SAMIA) in Zanzibar

This study aims to implement and evaluate micronutrient supplementation interventions to improve adolescent nutrition, health and education in Zanzibar. Findings from this study will clarify the optimal supplementation strategy (iron and folic acid alone or adding other essential nutrients) and provide a basis for scale up of national micronutrient supplementation programs to benefit the adolescent population as a whole in Zanzibar.

This will be a cluster randomized study with 3 arms. At the beginning of the academic year, 42 schools will be enrolled (14 schools per arm) to receive either 1) supplementation with weekly iron and folic acid (IFA); 2) supplementation with daily multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) (including iron and folic acid as components); or 3) to serve as controls. Students in intervention schools will receive supplementation and students in control schools will receive the usual care (which does not include supplementation but does include existing curriculum on nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene [WASH]). The program will be evaluated at the end of year 1, comparing effects of weekly IFA and daily MMS on anemia status and school attendance/performance. The more effective strategy (MMS or IFA) will be scaled up to all the study schools for year 2 of the intervention, and the outcomes will be re-assessed.

Inclusion criteria

• Adolescents aged 10-17 years
• Enrolled in secondary school form 1 at study initiation
• Member of one of the selected classes in a participating school
• Consent provided by the parent
• Assent provided by the adolescent
• Fluency in Swahili and/or English

Exclusion criteria

• No informed consent from parent or assent from adolescent
• Self-reported pregnancy